By Dominic Abassi

Nanaimo city manager arrested for alleged threats against mayor, councillor

Feb 5, 2018 | 5:28 PM

NANAIMO — Workplace drama escalated to new heights at Nanaimo City Hall leading to the arrest of the city’s chief administrative officer, NanaimoNewsNOW has learned.

Nanaimo mayor Bill McKay said RCMP contacted him last Wednesday evening to inform him there was an incident at City Hall and threats against his life were allegedly made.

“It’s concerning, there’s no doubt about it…RCMP explained to me what steps they were going to take with respect to ensuring the safety of myself and my family,” McKay told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The City broke its silence on the matter for the first time on Monday, confirming in a statement “Due to an incident at City Hall, the RCMP made an arrest, and we understand that they have also initiated an ongoing investigation.”

When asked about an incident at City Hall last Thursday, RCMP Island District Cpl. Tammy Douglas said “A woman was arrested (Wednesday) night for uttering threats…The woman has since been released on a Promise to Appear with conditions for court at a later date.”

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Douglas said the woman’s name would not be released because charges have not officially been laid. Plainclothes officers were at City Hall on Thursday and Friday of last week interviewing staff.

NanaimoNewsNOW learned the woman arrested was Nanaimo city manager and CAO Tracy Samra.

McKay declined to comment on if the alleged threats made against him came from Samra or the nature of the alleged incident.

He confirmed threats were also allegedly made against coun. Diane Brennan.

McKay said Council has not discussed the matter and was expected to do so at an in-camera meeting Monday evening.

“The most important thing for us has been to go through the RCMP investigation process and ensure staff feel safe and that we’re looking after their best interests,” McKay said.

The City will also launch their own internal investigation, McKay said, adding “a handful” of staff at City Hall witnessed the alleged incident.

“We’ve ensured they can take advantage of any employment counseling programs. Myself, the acting city manager and the director of human resources have been coordinating these efforts and as the days unfold, far more information will come out.”

Meanwhile, McKay said he has not received any correspondence regarding Samra’s future with the City, after the Sechelt First Nation announced last week she would begin working for them this month as their new chief administrative officer.

Samra has not responded to a request for comment since last week.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: domabassi